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Roosters cruise as Eels snooze
Written by: Andrew CookApr 3, 2009 9:49pm
The Sydney Roosters have scored a dominant 24-6 win over a disappointing Parramatta Eels side in front of a subdued crowd at the Sydney Football Stadium to open Round 4 of the Telstra Premiership. The Eels had a dream start with three consecutive attacking sets before their opposition even handled the ball, but they couldn’t come away with any points despite a strong effort from hooker Matt Keating. They didn’t know it at the time, but that was to be their best attacking chance for the next 76 minutes of the match. Once the Roosters found their way into Parramatta’s territory they were quick to claim an advantage on the scoreboard. Sam Perrett scored the opening try in the 8th minute after a well-constructed backline play created a gap out wide and the Roosters continued to dominate both territory and possession for the next ten minutes. Strangely they chose to extend their lead further with two penalty goals instead of continuing to apply pressure on the Eels defence when a quick tap could well have had a greater reward. Eventually the Eels began to exert some pressure of their own, but the strong defence of the Roosters and some shaky last-tackle options left them unable to post any points. Shaun Kenny-Dowall struck a decisive blow for the Roosters just before the halftime break with the best try of the match, opening up a 16-0 lead for the home side. The second half wasn’t much better for the Eels – they had their chances but couldn’t find any sort of attacking spark to get through the Roosters line. On the other side, the Roosters picked up where they left off with another penalty goal to Craig Fitzgibbon followed up by a second try for Shaun Kenny-Dowall, and all of a sudden the lead had jumped out to 24-0. A 79th minute intercept try to Eels five-eighth Jarryd Hayne at least put the Eels on the board, but Hayne finished the match on a flat note by catching the restart and simply walking the ball dead. Overall this was a solid performance from the Roosters without being too flashy – their defence was particularly strong with plenty of powerful hits and a real effort shown in their kick-chase. Despite their dominance they’ll still need to lift a gear or two ahead of their showdown against the Brisbane Broncos next weekend. On the injury front, a suspected fractured eye socket suffered by Iosia Soliola could see him on the sidelines for a while. Parramatta have got some real problems they need to address quickly before their season is gone. Their attack looks as sharp as a bag of wet mice, and some players look like they’re simply going through the motions. Brett Finch spent time at dummy-half tonight with Kris Keating moving into the halfback role, so it seems that coach Daniel Anderson is up to trying different things – but it remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to come up with a solution. On their current form, their next game against the Dragons shapes up as a very one-sided contest. Match Details Sydney Roosters 24 def Parramatta Eels 6 Round 4 - Friday April 3rd, 2009 7:35pm Venue: Sydney Football Stadium Referee: Tony Archer & Steve Lyons Sideline Officials: Steve Chiddy & David Abood Video Referee: Tim Mander Halftime: Roosters 16 Eels 0 Crowd: 11,231 Sydney Roosters 24 Tries: Shaun Kenny-Dowall (2), Sam Perrett Goals: Craig Fitzgibbon (6/6) Parramatta Eels 6 Tries: Jarryd Hayne Goals: Luke Burt (1/1) LeagueUnlimited.com Player of the Match 3 Points: Shane Shackleton (Roosters) 2 Points: Craig Fitzgibbon (Roosters) 1 Point: Braith Anasta (Roosters) LeagueUnlimited.com Live Commentary Welcome to the SFS for tonights clash between the Sydney Roosters and the Parramatta Eels. ROOSTERS: 1. Sam Perrett 2. Sonny Tuigamala 3. Mitchell Aubusson 4. Iosia Soliola 5. Shaun Kenny-Dowall 6. Braith Anasta 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. Mark O'Meley 9. James Aubusson 10. Frank-Paul Nuuausala 11. Shane Shackleton 12. Craig Fitzgibbon 13. Setaimata Sa Interchange: 14. Lopini Paea 15. Martin Kennedy 16. Ben Jones 17. Jake Friend; Reserves: 18. Sisa Waqa EELS: 1. Luke Burt 2. Joel Reddy 3. Ben Smith 4. Krisnan Inu 5. Eric Grothe 6. Jarryd Hayne 7. Brett Finch 8. Nathan Cayless 9. Matthew Keating 10. Fuifui Moimoi 11. Nathan Hindmarsh 12. Weller Hauraki 13. Feleti Mateo Interchange: 14. Kris Keating 15. Joe Galuvao 16. Tim Mannah 17. Broderick Wright 18. Todd Lowrie KICKOFF: We're underway! 2 min: Luke Burt is pulled down only inches away from the Roosters tryline after some very slick passing up the middle of the field. 4 min: VIDEO REF - possible Eels try - Matt Keating has darted over from dummy-half but may have been short of the line ... 4 min: NO TRY - A great tackle from Craig Fitzgibbon stopped Matt Keating from opening the scoring. The Roosters will finally get their hands on the ball for the first time in the match from the turnover. 7 min: Mitchell Pearce puts a grubber into the Eels in-goal but none of his outside men knew it was on. Krisnan Inu gathers the ball easily but is then caught by the Roosters chasers. 8 min: VIDEO REF - possible Roosters try - just checking for an obstruction ... 8 min: TRY Sydney Roosters Sam Perrett opens the scoring after a bad defensive read from Ben Smith created a hole in the Eels defence. Jarryd Hayne tried to protest that he'd been blocked by a Roosters runner but the video ref disagrees. Craig Fitzgibbon adds the extras. Sydney Roosters 6-0 10 min: Krisnan Inu boots the restart well over the dead ball line. 11 min: PENALTY GOAL Sydney Roosters The Eels are penalised for a strip on Mark O'Meley right in front of their own posts - Craig Fitzgibbon adds another two points to the score. Sydney Roosters 8-0 13 min: A fumble from Shane Shackleton gives the Eels a scrum feed only 15 metres out from the Roosters line, but they turn the ball back over on the first tackle. 16 min: Ben Smith knocks an attacking grubber kick from Braith Anasta over his own dead ball line. 18 min: Some sharp play from the Roosters here with plenty of offloads has them looking dangerous - the play ends with another kick into the in-goal, but this one dribbles dead. 19 min: SMASH - Weller Hauraki is completely flattened by Iosia Soliola, losing the ball at the same time. 20 min: PENALTY GOAL Sydney Roosters The Eels are penalised for offside play and the Roosters surprisingly opt for two points instead of keeping the pressure on. Craig Fitzgibbon adds another goal to his total. Sydney Roosters 10-0 23 min: Consecutive penalties to the Eels give them a much-needed ride into Roosters territory. 24 min: Tim Mannah receives the ball on the last tackle just five metres out from the Roosters line and is easily claimed by the defence. 26 min: Mitchell Aubusson claims an attacking kick from Jarryd Hayne but is then tackled inside his own in-goal. 28 min: Feleti Mateo tries a last tackle grubber-kick but it beats everyone over the dead ball line. 32 min: Joel Reddy tries a kick ahead from 15 metres out and gets around Sisa Waqa before Sam Perrett swoops in and kicks the ball dead. The Eels have had plenty of tryscoring chances over the last 10 minutes but their last tackle options have been letting them down. 34 min: Shaun Kenny-Dowall does well to claim a Brett Finch kick in his own in-goal despite plenty of pressure from Ben Smith. 37 min: VIDEO REF - possible Roosters try - just checking the onside ... 37 min: TRY Sydney Roosters A great try here to Shaun Kenny-Dowall, flying through to catch a pinpoint kick from Braith Anasta and forcing the ball in the same motion just ahead of the dead ball line. This was the Roosters first visit to the Eels tryline in almost 20 minutes but they've made the most of it. Craig Fitzgibbon converts from the touchline. Sydney Roosters 16-0 HALFTIME: Sydney Roosters 16 Parramatta Eels 0 The scoreline is a pretty fair reflection of the match so far. The Roosters are performing solidly on both attack and defence, while the Eels look a bit lost out there tonight. The second half is underway! 44 min: The Eels have their first try-scoring chance of the second half but it ends when a loose pass out wide is claimed by Shaun Kenny-Dowall. 47 min: Eric Grothe does well to claim an attacking bomb from Mitchell Pearce right on his own touchline and under plenty of pressure from Braith Anasta. 48 min: Shaun Kenny-Dowall saves a 40/20 from the Eels by leaping over the touchline and batting the ball back into the field of play. 50 min Eric Grothe is dragged into touch only a couple of metres out from the Roosters tryline - yet another chance for the Eels goes begging. 51 min: Brett Finch throws a pressure pass inside his own half that's claimed by Sisa Waqa, and the Eels compound the error by conceding a penalty in the next tackle. 52 min: PENALTY GOAL Sydney Roosters Craig Fitzgibbon slots another two points from the penalty. Sydney Roosters 18-0 57 min: A dodgy knock-on call against the Eels gives the Roosters an attacking scrum 25 metres out. 57 min: TRY Sydney Roosters Shaun Kenny-Dowall grabs his second try thanks to some quick passing from Braith Anasta and Mitchell Aubusson, and all he had to do was fall over the line untouched. Craig Fitzgibbon has another conversion attempt from the touchline - and he nails it! Sydney Roosters 24-0 62 min: Nathan Cayless tries to put Fui Fui Moi Moi into a gap with a short pass but the ball is fumbled forward. Luckily for the Eels, Mitchell Pearce knocks on after the scrum win so they'll get the ball back only 20 metres out from the Roosters line. 63 min: VIDEO REF - possible Eels try - Joel Reddy went close out wide, but I'll be surprised if this is given ... 63 min: NO TRY - it was a fair effort but Reddy lost the ball while trying to get it down. 66 min: Shaun Kenny-Dowall is trapped in his own in-goal, the Eels will get another attacking chance. Fui Fui Moi Moi has been given a caution for raising his elbows when taking hit-ups. 70 min: Sam Perrett takes a great catch in front of his own posts and then makes a nice 40 metre run before the Eels defence gets to him. 72 min: Kris Keating, who has moved into halfback, throws a forward pass straight from a scrum win. 75 min: Braith Anasta misses a 40/20 by only a couple of metres. 79 min: TRY Parramatta Eels Jarryd Hayne snaffles an intercept from a Braith Anasta pass and jogs 40 metres to open the scoring for the Eels. Luke Burt adds the extras. Sydney Roosters 24-6 FULLTIME: Sydney Roosters 24 Parramatta Eels 6 The final whistle has put the Eels out of their misery for this week, while the Roosters take a well-deserved two competition points.
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